| Presentation Detail
Population Genetics and/or Genomics, Empirical Puckett, Emily [1], Eggert, Lori [1]. The influence of genetic drift on population genetic structure of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) in the Central Interior Highlands. Following overharvest and high persecution in the 1800s the American black bear (Ursus americanus) was thought to be extirpated or at low population densities throughout the central highlands of North America (Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma). Between 1958-1968 the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission translocated 256 bears from Minnesota and Manitoba to the Ozark and Ouachita mountains within Arkansas. The current population in Arkansas has been estimated at over 3,000 individuals between the Ozarks and Ouachitas. Bears have expanded their range from the Arkansas source populations into the Missouri Ozarks, Oklahoma Ozarks, and Oklahoma Ouachitas.
A previous genetic study using 6 microsatellite markers identified unique genetic clusters in the Ouachitas (OU), Ozarks (OZ), and Missouri; however, low sample sizes and number of loci prevented strong inference from these data. This study expands the previous work by using 15 microsatellite loci and larger sample sizes (nOU=114, nOZ=136, nMO=90, nMN=30) to test two hypotheses about population structure in the Midwest. The first hypothesis is that genetic structure was associated with a strong founder effect from the translocation. The second hypothesis is that Missouri had a remnant population that is genetically distinct from the populations in the Ozarks and Ouachitas. To test these hypotheses, 1,000,000 simulated datasets were generated by coalescent modeling for each hypothesis. Summary statistics from the observed and simulated datasets were compared and Bayes factors used to select the best model. Our data show both rapid recovery of genetic diversity and the strong influence of genetic drift in expanding populations.
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1 - University of Missouri, Division of Biological Sciences, 105 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, 65203, USA
Keywords:
American black bear
genetic drift
Approximate Bayesian Computation
population structure.
Presentation Type: Regular Oral Presentation
Session: 53
Location: Alpine A and B/Snowbird Center
Date: Sunday, June 23rd, 2013
Time: 8:45 AM
Number: 53002
Abstract ID:710
Candidate for Awards:W.D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Student Presentation |
